The world over, especially America, whose Presidential political model Nigeria has adopted as its own, entertainment stars routinely endorse candidates of their choice. In no other political campaign moment was this practice been taken seriously than in the just concluded elections into various elective offices. But with what import for the stars and their industryFROM President Goodluck Jonathan to Ibrahim Shekerau to Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola: they all courted the entertainment industry with a measure of frenzy. They met them and made plenty promises how they will turn their industry around for the better. They knew how much people believed in the stars that the entertainment industry has thrown up. They saw them as serious political capital and wooed them as a way of garnering votes.Nevertheless, politics is about delivering electoral promises. Except they turn a new leaf, Nigerian politicians are not the best models in making good their promises. What if they fail to live up to their words How would they be held accountable These are some of the issues Independent Television Practitioners Association of Nigeria (ITPAN) president Mr. Busola Holloway gave expression in a recent conversation.He argued, First of all, we need to define what the concept of Nollywood is. Nollywood really is a conglomeration of the entertainment industry, which includes home video makers, theatre practitioners, television production, radio production and many other professions within the entertainment industry.We should realise that the World Bank came out with a report sometime last year that the entertainment industry is the only industry in Nigeria that is growing; other industries are regressing, but the entertainment industry is growing. Hence, our government is trying to pump in money into the industry, which they find is developing.They are also trying to leverage on the popularity of the people in the industry. That is not new because it is done all over the world. If you go to America, you would find some of the top main actors and actresses going out to endorse candidates of their choice because they have a followership which they can convince, and people naturally want to see these screen goddesses that they have always admired and when given the opportunity they would likely listen to the person as well.So yes, the entertainment industry is very powerful and politicians who ignore the industry do it to their own detriment.Holloway was of the view that politicians approaching Nollywood stars and the stars agreeing to endorse candidates of their choice was in order, saying, Certainly they are good for the industry because, prior to now, the mentality of Nigerians is that if you are not a technocrat, if you are not some engineer or doctor you are not a professional. But we ought to realise that there are many other professions people went to school for and still go to school for which command a lot of respect and generate a lot of income.In television production, for instance, one TV programme you see on TV, a series, which is a serial or a soap opera as you would call it which runs for 13 episodes employs so many people at once. There is one director, ok. Lets take it from the producer; youve got an assistant director; sometimes there is a second assistant director. Then there is a Director of Photography, a cameraman; you have got so many people down the line.One show could employ up to 50 or 60 people. And, that way employment is generated and when you look down the line, you go below the line and look at other people who are employed by the television stations.With advertising agencies, they employ people in television productions companies who make those commercials and it goes down the line, its a trickledown effect. So, so many people depend on that one programme.Accountability is one area Nigerian politicians are still battling with. They are yet to imbibe it as a norm for holding public office; impunity has been the byword. Holloway said holding politicians accountable for their electoral promises was a touchy issue politicians would have to deal with in relation to the industry.That is a tough one; you cannot hold politicians or anybody to their words, he opined. Nobody gives their words and then you can say you hold them 100 per cent accountable; anybody can change their minds, and you would never know. We just hope they would be honest enough to keep their words and promises but then, it is open and glaring to them to see that this industry is really employing many people and generating income.He found it hard to agree that the politicians that promised the actors and actresses that they would turn the fortunes of the entertainment industry around merely did so as political expediency, and arguing, I do not believe their gestures were merely political. But lets face it. So much has been said over the months about politicians just using Nollywood as a stepping-stone.To some extent, that might be true but, I have some faith, some degree of faith that some of the things we are asking for, even though the politicians may not honour their promises, the fact of the matter is, we are bringing these issues to the forefront. The fact of the matter is that people are starting to know how important the entertainment industry is. People are beginning to see that the entertainment industry is a self-sustaining industry and it is an industry, which many young people in Nigeria can grow into and develop the future of this country with.So if the politicians fail to keep their promises, we have survived thus far without them. We can go on a lot longer, but its my hope that some of them, to some extent, would keep some of the promises that they have made. We dont want everything; it is even impossible to keep every promise but, at least let them do something.Even if they do some of what they have promised, you would see the industry growing rapidly. A lot of people do not realise it but even then, look at banking; the entertainment industry impacts on banking as well. Some of the money thats made from entertainment keeps bankers in business. A lot of bank managers would not have jobs, they would not have bank branches if the television stations were not there to put money in their accounts; so you see, its a trickledown effect like I said earlier. It goes from one producer to many different spheres of life in the country - to the people who rent and sell home videos.Unfortunately, the pirates are making money, feeding, and sending their kids to school with this money; even though it is illegal, everybody somehow is making some sort of income from the entertainment industry.In the event that the plethora of promises politicians made to entertainment practitioners in order to woo them and their supporters to vote for them was just what it was: Promises. What then Would the industry have been ridiculed Holloway stoutly rose in defence of the industry, saying, No, I do not think the industry is being ridiculed. The politicians are going out there to take their chances and if people believe in the entertainer who endorses any politician because of just that one endorsement, then those people deserve what they get.The fact remains that you make your own judgement based on what you feel or believe. The entertainer or the Nollywood person has come and given you their own view, not what the world believes. It is up to you, the individual, the Nigerian, to make your own choice. We merely lend our voice; we are not saying it is by force that you go and vote for this person. We lend our voice to whom we feel has been supporting the industry or those we feel will support the industry or one who sees that there is a future in the industry. So, I do not think it is bringing the industry to ridicule; that is totally incorrect, I am sorry.
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